Habemus Papam (UPDATED: Venables on New Pope)

A new pope of the Roman Catholic Church has been elected. Updates to follow.

UPDATE: The new Bishop of Rome is the former Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, 76-years-old. He is the first Latin American pope, a Jesuit, and a man known for holiness.

UPDATE: He has taken the name Francis I. An interesting choice for a Jesuit!

UPDATE: According to Wikipedia (I know, I know, but I think this accurate):

He served on the Congregation of Clergy, Congregation of Divine Worship and Sacraments, Congregation of Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Congregation of Societies of Apostolic Life. Bergoglio became a member of the Commission on Latin American and the Family Council.

As Cardinal, Bergoglio became known for personal humility, doctrinal conservatism and a commitment to social justice. A simple lifestyle has contributed to his reputation for humility. He lives in a small apartment, rather than in the palatial bishop’s residence. He gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of public transportation, and he reportedly cooks his own meals.

UPDATE: Numerous firsts: first from the Western Hemisphere, first Latin American, first Jesuit, first Francis. He has spoken out against liberation theology, and strongly upheld orthodox theological and ethical positions of the church. He has also followed John Paul II in identifying with and seeking to lift up the poor with a genuine Christian social ethic. He also has spoken of the need to reform the Curia, which can’t be anything but good.

The former Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, reportedly got the second-most votes after Joseph Ratzinger, the last pope, in the 2005 papal election. He has long specialized in the kind of pastoral work — overseeing churches and priests — that some say is an essential skill for a pope.

In a lifetime of teaching and leading priests in Latin America, which has the largest share of the world’s Catholics, the former Bergoglio has shown a keen political sensibility as well as a self-effacing humility, according to his official biographer, Sergio Rubin. His personal style is the antithesis of Vatican splendor.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was chosen as pope Wednesday and will be known as Pope Francis, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is best known as a champion of the poor. This is often reflected in his very humble lifestyle, despite his position. One much-cited example of his personal (and very Franciscan) commitment is that he takes the bus.

You’re going to hear that last bit a lot: “the Pope who takes the bus.”

UPDATE: Anglican Archbishop Gregory Venables, a friend of the new Pope, has this to say on Facebook:

Many are asking me what Jorge Bergoglio is really like. He is much more of a Christian, Christ centered and Spirit filled, than a mere churchman. He believes the Bible as it is written. I have been with him on many occasions and he always makes me sit next to him and invariably makes me take part and often do what he as Cardinal should have done. He is consistently humble and wise, outstandingly gifted yet a common man. He is no fool and speaks out very quietly yet clearly when necessary. He called me to have breakfast with him one morning and told me very clearly that the Ordinariate was quite unnecessary and that the church needs us as Anglicans. I consider this to be an inspired appointment not because he is a close and personal friend but because of who he is In Christ. Pray for him.

Hearing that Archbishop Venables is a friend of the Pope was very exciting. I expect Greg Griffith to use his influence with the Archbishop to get Stand Firm an interview with Francis in the near future.

Not a Curia insider. Doctrinally conservative, from his first blessing, personable and articulate. They seem to have done well. Catholics and non-Catholic Christians should pray for him. This seems promising.

St. Francis, in addition to being a beloved figure among both Catholics and other Christians because of his legendary kindness, humility, and love for animals, was called by God to “rebuild my church.” I think this is probably why the new Pope chose the name Francis.

Pope Francis opposes same-sex marriage and abortion, among other things. I was extremely interested to learn that he visits AIDS patients, and has washed the feet of AIDS patients. This is particularly interesting to me because of a bizarre exchange I had recently with a vestry member when I made my annual objection to, and cast my annual vote against, our church’s giving a matching gift to Planned Parenthood. This woman actually said, presumably to show how unreasonable I was being, that then we shouldn’t be giving a matching gift to Hospice, either - since Hospice treats AIDS patients. People like her actually believe that because you think killing babies and engaging in sodomy are frowned upon by Jesus, you also want AIDS victims to die miserable deaths. Francis is a perfect refutation of that ignorant notion.

I checked him out on Wikipedia just after the name was released - he was born in India, according to the article, not in Argentina. He sounds like a good man, esp after what Abp Venables said about him.

We heard on the TV that his father was Italian, which his last anme and his command of Italian seems to bear out (he spoke beautifully in his address). I think, from everything I’ve hear and read, that he will be a Pope. He doesn’t sound like a reconciler or a conciliator.

St. Francis, in addition to being a beloved figure among both Catholics and other Christians because of his legendary kindness, humility, and love for animals, was called by God to “rebuild my church.” I think this is probably why the new Pope chose the name Francis.

The Pope may have chosen the name to commemorate St. Francis Xavier, who was one of the co-founders of the Jesuits. St. Francis Xavier was a missionary to the east- India, most notably. For more see http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06233b.htm

“Anglicans dodged a bullet on this one. Had an African pontiff been named, the millions of loyal African Anglicans would have surely paddled the Tiber in massive numbers. Whew!”

I assume this is tongue-in-cheek.

We have to get our heads around the idea that our African brethren are just as strong in their beliefs (if not stronger) than us westerners. For most of them, they will paddle the Tiber if they believe RC doctrine is correct, and not otherwise. I doubt that the nationality of the Pope will make the slightest difference.

However, where I do think the Roman Catholic Church as a WHOLE will gain from this, is that they have sent a very powerful symbolic message to the whole world that they take the Global South seriously. The Anglican Communion is way behind on that score.

This quote appeared today in a column on the Townhall Daily web site. The subject of the column was the election of the (not yet known at that time) new Pope and the hope that he would be a wise and godly leader, not one given to the current fads in “religion.” It says about all that needs to be said about the reputation of TEC:

“For those Catholics who don’t like the idea of a Catholic pope, there is an answer. It’s called the Episcopal Church, and every Catholic Church in the United States should have a map showing the location of the nearest one.

There, dissident Catholics will find homosexual bishops, lesbian priests, sanction for abortion, the unfettered right to divorce, and all those other practices the Catholic Church forbids under pain of mortal sin. It is the church that can’t say no. Dissidents will be very comfortable there.”

The reaction to the point about the Ordinariate is far more significant than the original comment which incidentally was not written for publication. The conversation was in 2009 and did not imply that the Ordinariate was temporary or an error, merely that the speaker values the Anglican Church as it is.

I think you will find this is only the Eastern Orthodox. They and Rome remain in schism with the Oriental Orthodox, as they have been since the 5th century.

This is where the National Catholic Reporter gets it wrong: “...although of course it has been a millennia since the five episcopal sees of the Roman Empire—Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem—were completely undivided” - actually it has been 1500 years since they were completly undivided.

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